A group of Salt Lake City parents argue that school district official Brian Conley had “serious conflicts of interest” while he led a study on school closures that ended with the planned shutdown of four elementary campuses before next school year.
And because of those concerns, they’re calling for school board members to recall the board’s Jan. 9 closure vote.
The parents think Conley, who serves as the district’s boundaries and planning director, violated the Utah Public Officers’ and Employees’ Ethics Act due to his family members’ connections to two elementary schools in the district.
Their allegations are outlined in an email one of the parents, Troy Davis, sent Thursday to both Superintendent Elizabeth Grant and school board members. Davis is the father of a student at Hawthorne Elementary, one of the four schools set to close.
At the beginning of the school closure process, officials under Conley’s direction initially evaluated all district elementary schools for potential shutdown. On Aug. 1, officials settled on a narrowed list of seven schools to study more closely. In November, a shorter list of four schools was formally recommended for closure. School board members in January voted to shutter all four schools on the November list.
Specifically, the email sent Thursday states Conley’s spouse is the current principal of an elementary school that was spared from the August list of seven schools. The Salt Lake Tribune confirmed the couple was married on Aug. 15, 2023, days after that list was agreed upon, and that Conley’s spouse is a principal in the district, based on their marriage certificate and public salary data.
The email also asserts that Conley’s stepchild attends one of the three schools that the district decided to study more closely in August, but ultimately did not recommend for shutdown. The parents said they confirmed the relationship through public records.
“These circumstances not only create a clear conflict of interest between Mr. Conley’s public duties and private interests but also suggest a direct personal economic interest in ensuring the job security of his spouse,” the letter stated, though Grant has said school administrators, teachers and staff at schools slated for closure will be offered equivalent employment opportunities within the district.
Still, the letter stated, “This newly discovered information would give any reasonable person pause and a legitimate reason to reassess matters.”
It’s unclear if Conley ever publicly disclosed or that board members knew that his spouse serves as principal of a district elementary school. It’s also unclear if Conley ever publicly disclosed or that board members knew that his stepchild attends one of the schools they decided to spare.
In a statement, Grant reaffirmed her position on recommending the four schools for shutdown and said she does not plan to ask board members to reconsider their decision.
She added that the decision last August to more closely study seven schools for closure was “made by a 13-member Boundary Options Committee, not by a single person,” and that the 16 factors weighed in the study process did not include “consideration of the serving principal at any school.”
She added that the data and rationale released by the district “clearly explain the basis for the recommendation and the Board’s ultimate vote.”
“My recommendation in November to close four schools was made after thoroughly reviewing and analyzing a significant amount of data on all seven schools with my senior leadership team,” Grant wrote. “I made that recommendation to the Board and it was not influenced in any way by personal relationships or improper motivations.”
The parents argue the alleged conflicts of interest “[undermine] public confidence in the District and the school closure process,” their email stated.
Davis told The Salt Lake Tribune that the group of parents have decided not to file a formal ethics complaint, instead relying on the email outlining their concerns as they wanted to “allow the district to do what they need to do.”
“We aren’t up for a legal battle and it would become that,” he said.
Days before the Jan. 9 closure vote, Davis sent an email to district officials that questioned how schools were chosen for further closure study. He raised his concern that the decision was influenced by bias and contended the district hadn’t been adequately transparent throughout the closure process.
In response, Grant wrote in an email that she appreciated Davis’ advocacy “and the need for the district to follow its board policies and administrative procedures.”
“As the district works through this process for the first time in many years,” she continued, “we appreciate correspondence like this as it will help us hone our processes moving forward.”
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